What Kind of Furnace Air Filtration Will Get Rid of My Dust

Yes… to some extent you are helping to keep dust and debris out of your ducting system and reducing the overall amounts of ‘air crud’ in your home. While somewhat effective, your air filter may not be as great as it makes itself out to be.

Most furnace air filters do a great job of removing large particles… like fur, hair, and dirt. It’s the big stuff that we can see without a microscope. Smaller particulate than that can easily get through a lesser filter and find it’s way back into your living space and possibly affect your health or the health of your family.

Some filters offer a better ‘rating’ of what they can filter out. These are usually known as MERV units. The higher MERV unit, the better the filter will be at trapping the particulate. There is a downside to the higher MERV unit filters… The better the filter, the more debris it will trap and the less air it will let through as is gets full of debris.

Yes… your air filter traps debris in it’s spaces between the fibers much like a coffee filter stops coffee granules from getting into your coffee. Over time however, these spaces between fibers fill with dust, dirt, hair, and debris and become clogged. Clogged air filters reduce the amount of airflow through your furnace or air conditioner which can drastically decrease their performance, increase operational costs, and increase wear and tear on your equipment.

Air filter technology has evolved over the last 50 years. However, in the last 5 to 10 years electrostatic filtration has been the technology of choice for reducing particulate. As seen in the photo at the top of the post. Electrostatic Filtration can remove up to 98% of the particulate in the air. Most of these filters offer easy to clean reusable media to help reduce waste and landfill as well.

Electrostatic Filtration works by creating a electrical field that catches the dirt and debris and holds them to the filter. Most air particulate that has mass (not a gas) are also capable of being electrically charged. When air particulate comes in contact with the electrical field of the electrostatic filter, it becomes caught in electrical field and sticks to the filter. As long as the filter stays electrified, the particulate will stay attached to the filter.

Filtration can only go so far… There are particles and molecules that are too small for even the best air filters out there. HEPA filtration can be an extremely costly and is usually reserved for hospitals or clean room environments. Air Scrubber technology is the next big thing in Indoor Air Quality and it easily and effectively cleans and protects your HVAC equipment including your ductwork as well. Stay tuned next week to learn more about the Air Scrubber!